Lions 40, Jaguars 14: Jaguars' Defense Dominated as Trevor Lawrence Avoids Injury
The Jacksonville Jaguars may have escaped on Sunday with good news about quarterback Trevor Lawrence's health, but that was all that went well for the Jaguars in Detroit.
The Jaguars (4-8) had won two of their last three entering the week and were primed to have a must-watch battle against the Titans next week with a win against the Lions. Instead, the Jaguars' defense was pummeled in a 40-14 loss.
The Lions didn't punt once in their eight drives, scoring each time with four touchdowns and four field goals to down the Jaguars.
The Jaguars consistently let the Lions march up and down the field on them, allowing Jared Goff to complete 75.6% of his passes for 340 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 8.3 yards per attempt.
Overall, the Jaguars allowed the Lions to pick up 437 yards and allowed the Lions' offense to 8-of-12 on first down.
Things did not go as well for the Jaguars' offense despite a positive matchup. The Jaguars punted on three of their first four drives after an opening-drive turnover set the tone for the day.
Travis Etienne made a critical early mistake on the Jaguars' first drive, losing his second fumble of the year at the Jaguars' own 38-yard line after an otherwise impressive 13-yard gain.
The Lions took quick advantage of Etienne's mistake, scoring on a one-yard Jamal Williams touchdown after a seven-play drive that saw the Lions pick up chunk gains throughout the drive.
Jacksonville finally let red-hot Lawrence throw it downfield on the next drive, responding with a 37-yard pass to Christian Kirk. The Jaguars looked prime to pick up a 3rd-and-short in the red-zone, too, before a rare Zay Jones drop on third-down forced them to kick a 31-yard field goal.
Three Lions field goals and touchdowns by Jamal Williams and Amon-Ra St. Brown put the Jaguars in a 23-6 hole entering halftime; a period where the Jaguars saw the rest of their season flash before their eyes as Lawrence sustained a lower-leg injury on a sack.
Despite the Jaguars being down 30-6 by the time they first got the ball in Sunday's second-half, starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence returned to the field for Jacksonville after a scary first-half injury.
Lawrence, who started the game 9-of-19 for 124 yards, dropped back to pass in the final seconds of a 23-6 half. He was sacked by Detriot Lions defender James Houston from the blindside, with Houston grabbing Lawrence's lower-half and twisting as he went to the ground.
Lawrence, who the broadcast showed walk to the locker room with trainers on his power, went down and screamed in pain as he was hit and Houston rolled off of him. Houston was not flagged for the low hit on Lawrence.
Lawrence ran onto the field shortly after the rest of the offense, warming up after the broadcast reported that head coach Doug Pederson said he still had a chance to play. Lawrence never missed a snap, leading the Jaguars on a 16-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a three-yard touchdown pass to Evan Engram.
That was the only scoring drive of the day for the Jaguars' offense, though, as critical drops from Jones and Engram put the Jaguars in 2nd- and 3rd-and long scenarios throughout the game.
The Jaguars finished the game with just 14 first downs compared to Detroit's 31, going 3-of-12 on third-down.
Lawrence finished Sunday 17-of-31 (54.8%) for 179 yard and a touchdown. He was replaced by backup quarterback C.J. Beathard on the final drive of the game.
Jacksonville saw some familiar faces make big plays in Sunday's blowout; former Jaguars wide receiver DJ Chark caught five passes for 98 yards, including a 41-yard catch in the first-half.
No. 2 overall pick Aidan Hutchinson also made a big play in the game's final quarter, splitting a sack against the team that passed on him. As for No. 1 overall pick Travon Walker, he recorded two quarterback hits and a tackle for loss.
The Jaguars also had issues with St. Brown throughout the day, allowing him to catch 11-of-12 targets for 114 yards and two touchdowns.
